Slidable clasp with latching action for foldable connector, and clasp-bracelet combination

ABSTRACT

A SLIDABLE CLASP IS CARRIED ON A FIRST PANEL OF A FOLDING CONNECTOR OF THE TYPE ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO THE ENDS OF A BRACELET OR THE LIKE. WHEN A SECOND PANEL IS FOLDED OVER THE FIRST PANEL, THE SLIDABLE CLASP IS MOVED INTO A POSITION IN WHICH IT ENGAGES THE SECOND PANEL, THEREBY TO LATCH THE FIRST AND SECOND PANELS IN THEIR FOLDED CONDITION. THE SLIDABLE CLASP MAY INCLUDE UPSTANDING PARTS WHICH STRADDLE THE BRACELET AND ARE READILY ENGAGEABLE TO MOVE THE SLIDABLE CLASP.

Jan. 19, 1971 s. BELLO SLIDA'BLE CLASP WITH LATGHING ACTION FOR FOLDABLE CONNECTOR, AND CLASP-BRACELET COMBINATION 2 SheetsSheet 1 Filed Jan. 15, 1969 F/GJ INVENTOR :4; v was 854 z. a

SLIDABLE CLASP WITH LATCHING ACTION FOR FOLDABLE CONNECTOR, AND

Jam 19, 1971 s BELLO CLASP-BRACELET COMBINATION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 15, 1969 'INVENTOR 1,44 l/ATOkE 861.40 BYg United States Patent Office 3,555,850 SLIDABLE CLASP WITH LATCHING ACTION FOR FOLDABLE CONNECTOR, AND CLASP- BRACELET COMBINATION Salvatore Bello, Clilfside Park, N.J., assignor to Jacoby- Bender, Inc., Woodside, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Jan. 15, 1969, Ser. No. 791,335 Int. Cl. A44c 5/24 U.S. Cl. 63--3 14 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to connectors, and particularly to a connector adapted to be attached to the ends of a bracelet, identification band, watchband, or the like.

The ends of bracelets are commonly secured to one another by a folding connector which comprises first and second panels or leaves hingedly connected to each other at adjacent ends. The other end of the first panel may be connected to one end of the bracelet, and the other end of second panel carries a clasp housing to which the other end of the bracelet is secured.

When the bracelet is worn about the wrist, the second panel is swung about its connection with the first panel to overlie the latter and the clasp housing is brought directly over the connection between the first panel and the bracelet. A part of the clasp housing is snapped into locking engagement with that connection, thereby to lock the two panels in their folded condition at one of their ends. The circumferential length of the bracelet and connector assembly when the panels are folded and locked in this manner is sufficiently small to prevent the bracelet from falling from the wearers wrist.

To remove the bracelet from the wrist, the clasp housing is snapped out of engagement with the first panel, and the second panel is moved away from its position overlying the first panel, until the panels are unfolded to a s'ubstantially end-to-end longitudinal relationship at which time the circumferential length of the bracelet and connector assembly is sufiiciently large to permit the bracelet to be readily passed over the wearers hand and removed therefrom.

It has been found that the snap engagement between the clasp housing and the first panel often fails, particularly when the wearer is engaging in physical activity, such as manual labor or athletics, in which the connector and bracelet are subjected to shocks, jolts and pulls. The ex ternal forces acting on the bracelet and connector as Well as the force on the connector due to the weight of the bracelet itself, may create a resultant force operating on the second panel and on the clasp housing carried thereby which is effective to urge the clasp housing out of its snap engagement with the first panel, that engagement heretofore having been the sole means provided to maintain the panels in their folded or latched position. When that force is sufiicient to disengage the clasp housing from the first panel, the connector will eventually unfold so that the circumferential length of the bracelet becomes enlarged and the bracelet will tend to slide olf the wearers wrist.

Patented Jan. 19, 1971 This is at least an irritation to the wearer as it requires him to stop his activity, reposition the bracelet and reengage the clasp housing and the first panel in their snap engagement. Moreover, as is common, a timepiece may be secured to the free ends of the bracelet, and the failure of the connector may cause that timepiece to fall to the ground, thereby possibly causing serious damage to that timepiece.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a clasp for use on a folding bracelet connector which provides a more secure and reliable retention between the connector elements.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a clasp for a folding bracelet connector which is readily manipulated into and out of locking position.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a supplemental clasp for a folding bracelet connector of the type described which is inconspicuous and artistically cooperates with the decorative effect of the bracelet to which the connector is secured.

To these ends, the present invention provides a supplementary slidable clasp carried on' one of the panels of the folding connector. When the panels are not overlying one another, the slidable clasp is loosely carried on one of the panels, and when the panels are folded and locked at their ends by the conventional clasp housing, the slidable clasp is moved to a position at which it grasps the other of the panels, thereby to latch the panels to one another at the end where the slidable clasp is carried. The supplemental latching action obtained in this manner is effective to im prove the reliability of the latching engagement of the two panels, and thus the retention of the bracelet on the wearers wrist.

The slidable clasp may comprise a strip extending across said one panel. A pair of tabs depend from that strip and extend around the side edges of the panel which carries it, those tabs being adapted also to releasably engage the side edges of the other panel. A pair of upstanding parts may project from the ends of that strip to facilitate manually grasping the slidable clasp and moving it along the panel on which it is mounted between its latching and non-latching positions.

The upstanding parts, when present, are transversely separated across said one panel by a sufiicient distance so that when the panels and clasps are in their latching positions, a portion of the bracelet is received therebetween. These upstanding parts may be formed of a material having a similar appearance to the material of the bracelet so that the visible parts of the slidable clasp blend into the decorative scheme of the bracelet and are substantially inconspicuous when viewed by the casual observer.

To the accomplishment of the above, and to such other objects as may hereinafter appear, the present invention relates to a folding connector having novel clasping means, as defined in the accompanying claims and as described in this specification, taken together with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a connector of the present invention in folded and latched condition, a typical watch and bracelet adapted to be used with said connector being shown in broken lines;

FIG. 2 is a view of the connector of FIG. 1 in an unlatched and partially unfolded condition;

FIG. 3 is a plan view, on an enlarged scale, of the latched and folded connector of FIG. 1 as viewed in the direction of the line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view similar to FIG. 3 but showing the connector in its fully unfolded condition;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along line 55 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken along line 66 of FIG. with the sliding clasp in its solid line position in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view taken along line 77 of FIG. 5 but with the sliding clasp in its broken line position in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but on an enlarged scale, of a second embodiment of the folding connector of this invention.

The present invention provides a supplemental clasp for use with a folding type connector generally designated 10 of the type commonly used to secure the ends of bracelets, identification bands and the like. That connected to the other end of panel 14 by a pin 20 extending leaf panel 14, each articulately connected at one of their ends to a pin 16. A clasp housing 18 is articulately connected to the other end of panel by a pin 20 extending between the side walls 19 of clasp housing 18. The bracelet-watch combination, shown in broken lines and generally designated 22, is attached at one of its ends by pin 24 to the free end of panel 12, and at its other end by pin 26 to the free end of clasp housing 18, the pin 26 also extending between the side walls 19 of clasp housing 18. When the bracelet is worn around the wearers wrist as shown in FIG. 1, panel 14 is pivoted around pin 16 and placed over panel 12, and the clasp housing 18 is then pivoted about pin 20 until fingers 28, provided at one end of clasp housing 18, snap around the end of panel 12.

When connector 10 is in its folded and latched position, the panels 12 and 14 are latched to one another only at one of their ends by means of the snap engagement of clasp housing 18 and panel 12. During normal usage, the weight of the bracelet (and timepiece, if one is secured to the bracelet) produces a force on panel 14 and clasp housing 18, which tends to move the clasp housing 18 out of its snap engagement with panel 12. This tends to loosen the engagement between clasp housing 18 and panel 12, and thus weakens the latched retention of panels 12 and 14 in their folded condition. When the wearer of the bracelet is engaged in strenuous physical activity, additional forces may be developed on the clasp housing 18 to further loosen that snap engagement. When those forces are sufficient to cause the disengagement of clasp housing 18 and panel 12, panel 14 will be free to swing outwardly about pin 16 and away from its folded position overlying panel 12 to an end-to-end relationship therewith. The overall circumferential length of the bracelet and connector assembly will then be increased to an extent permitting the bracelet to readily slide over the wearers hand and, if not quickly caught, to fall onto the floor.

In accordance with the present invention, a supplemental clasp means generally designated 32 provides additional security to the latching between panels 12 and 14 when they are in their folded or latched position. That clasp is loosely carried on one of the panels, and as described herein is loosely carried on panel 14. Sliding clasp 32 comprises, as seen best in FIGS. 4 and 5, a strip 34 extending transversely across panel 14 and having a pair of tabs 36 and 38 at its ends. Tabs 36 and 38 extend downwardly (upwardly as viewed in FIG. 1) past the side edges of panel 14 and are then bent into partially overlie the undersurface of panel 14 and to be spaced from that undersurface by a distance somewhat greater than the thickness of the side edge portions 42 of panel 12, those side edge portions 42 terminating short of the panel end nearest pin 16 to define a narrow panel section 40. The bent-in parts of the tabs 36 and 38 are short enough so as not to reach the section 40 of panel 12 when they are in registration therewith. Thus tabs 36 and 38 mount clasp 32 on panel 14 for slidable movement therealong.

When fastener 10 is first moved to its folded position when the panel 14 is folded over panel 12the sliding clasp 32 is initially positioned adjacent pin 16 as shown by the dashed line position in FIG. 5 and the solid line position in FIG. 2, so that the taps 36 and 38 register with the reduced width section 40 of panel 12 (FIG. 7). To engage tabs 36 and 38 of clasp 32 with panel 12, the clasp 32 is moved along panel 14 in the direction of the arrow 41 in FIG. 5 from the broken line to the solid line position, until tabs 36 and 38 move out of registration with the reduced width section 40 of panel 12 and slide under and engage the under surface of the side edge portions 42 of panel 12 (FIG. 6) to thereby effectively fasten the panels 12 and 14 to one another near their ends at which they are respectively articulately secured to pin 16. (Clasp housing 18 is preferably snapped into engagement with the other end of panel 12 prior to the movement of clasp 32 into its latching position.) As a result, panels 12 and 14 are locked at respective ones of their ends by the clasp housing 18, as is conventional, and they are also locked at their other ends by the slidable clasp 32, thus providing an appreciable degree of added security to the connector. Moreover, the type of force which would be effective to unsnap clasp housing 18 from panel 12 would have no effect on slidable clasp 32.

When the connector 10 is in its folded position (see FIG. 5) appreciable lengths of panels 12 and 14 adjacent the connecting pin 16 extend out beyond the end of clasp housing 18, the thus extending portion of panel 12 including the reduced width portion 40 thereof and a part of the side edge portions 42. It is on this outwardly extending part of panel 14 that clasp 32 is mounted and slidable between its operative (clasping) and inoperative (releasing) positions. Hence the clasp 32 is accessible for manual manipulation when the connector is folded as well as when it is unfolded.

When it is desired to remove the bracelet 22 from the wearers wrist, clasp 32 is moved back towards pin 16 until the tabs 36, 38 pass beyond the side edge portions 42 and register with the reduced with section 40 of panel 12, at which time the tabs 36 and 38 will no longer engage panel 12. The clasp housing 18 may then be unsnapped from panel 12 and the panels 12 and 14 may be moved away from one another to unfold the connector.

To facilitate the movement of the slidable clasp 32 between its two operative (i.e. latching and non-latching) positions, a pair of parts 44 and 46 may be provided to extend upwardly from the end of strip 34. When the clasp 32 is to be moved from one operative position to the other, the user grasps the two upstanding parts 44, 46 and moves the clasp 32 to its desired position. As may perhaps best be seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, the space between the upstanding parts 44 and 46 is sufiicient to receive the end portion of bracelet 22. The material from which the slidable clasp 32 and particularly parts 44 and 46 is formed preferably is similar to or blends in appearance with the material from which the bracelet 22 is formed so that the clasp 32 is substantially inconspicuous, and hence does not detract from the overall decorative appearance of the bracelet. However, a contrast in appearance between the various parts might be desired to produce special appearance effects.

Sliding clasp 32 may be formed from a single piece of sheet metal which is folded upwards and then reversely bent at 48 and 50 (FIGS. 6 and 7) to form the upstanding parts 44 and 46. The free ends of the strip 34 are then folded inwardly to form the tabs 36 and 38.

The embodiment of FIG. 8 is similar to that of FIGS. 1-7 except that the slidable clasp, there designated 32', does not have the upstanding parts 44, 46. It is therefore somewhat less convenient to manipulate, but has the advantage that it is more unobtrusive.

The present invention has thus provided a supplemental clasp which provides additional latching between the folding panels of a folding connector of the type commonly used to secure the ends of a bracelet. That connector is inexpensive and easy to manufacture in large quantities and may be readily used by the wearer of the bracelet with only a minor additional effort required of him to perform the additional latching operation. When the connector is in its locked position, that is, when the bracelet is worn about the wearers wrist, the supplemental clasp is inconspicuous and blends into the overall decorative scheme of the bracelet. The connector of this invention provides a more secure retention of the bracelet on the wearers wrist even when the wearer is engaged in activities which would, in the absence of the additional security provided by the slidable clasp 32 or 32 of this invention, tend to break the latched engagement of the folding panels of the connector and cause the connector to unfold and the bracelet to fall from the Wearers wrist.

While only a limited number of embodiments of this invention have been herein specifically disclosed, it Will be apparent that many variations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A connector adapted to be secured to the ends of a bracelet of the type adapted to be worn about the Wrist of the wearer, said connector comprising first and second members articulately connected to one another at first ends thereof, said first member being adapted to have its second end secured to the bracelet, first clasp means operatively secured to said second member, adapted to be secured to the other end of the bracelet, and effective when said second member is articulated into adjacent relationship With said first member to clasp the second ends of said first and second members to one another, and second clasp means normally loosely carried on one of said first and second members and effective when moved along said one of said members and when said members are in adjacent relationship to engage the other of said members near said first end thereof, thereby to clasp said first ends of said members.

2. The connector of claim 1, in which said second clasp means comprises a strip extending transversely across said one of said members, and first and second tabs respectively depending from the ends of said strip and extending around the longitudinal edges of said one of said members.

3. The connector of claim 2, in which said other of said members comprises a reduced width section near its said first end communicating with a wider section, said tabs lying adjacent said reduced width section when said second clasp means is in its said first position, and overlying said wider section when in its said second position.

4. The connector of claim 2, in which said second clasp means is movable on said one of said members from a first non-engaging position with respect to said other of said members, to a second position inwhich it engages the other of said members in clasping relationship.

5. The connector of claim 4, further comprising means extending from said strip and adapted to be manually engaged for moving said second clasp means from its said first position to its said second position.

6. The connector of claim 5, in which said moving means comprise a pair of upstanding parts projecting from the ends of said strip.

7. The connector of claim 6, in combination with a bracelet secured to said first clasp means, said first and second members adjacent their said first ends extending out longitudinally beyond said first clasp means when said first clasp means is operatively claspingly engaged, said upstanding parts being transversely separated by a space Wider than said bracelet, said bracelet being received in said space.

8. The connector of claim 6, in which said other of said members comprises a reduced width section near its said first end communicating with a wider section, said tabs lying adjacent said reduced width section when said second clasp means is in its said first position, and overlying said wider section when in its said second position.

9. The connector of claim 1, in which said second clasp means is movable on said one of said members from a first non-engaging position with respect to said other of said members, to a second position in which it engages the other of said members in clasping relationship.

10. The connector of claim 9, further comprising means extending fro-m said strip and adapted to be manually engaged for moving said second clasp means from its said first position to its said second position.

11. The connector of claim 10, in which said moving means comprise a pair of upstanding parts projecting from the ends of said second clasp means.

12. The connector of claim 11, in combination with a bracelet secured to said first clasp means, said first and second members adjacent their said first ends extending out longitudinally beyond said first clasp means when said first clasp means its operatively claspingly engaged, said upstanding parts being transversely separated by a space Wider than said bracelet, said bracelet being received in said space.

13. The connector of claim 11, in which said other of said members comprises a reduced width section near its said first end communicating with a wider section, said second clasp means overlying said reduced width section when said second clasp means is in its said first position, and overlying said wider section when in its said second position.

14. The connector of claim 1, in which said second clasp means is movable on said one of said members from a first non-engaging position with respect to said other of said members, to a second position in which it engages the other of said members in claspingrelationship by sliding over and extending around the longitudinal edges of the other of said members.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,658,053 2/1928 Kollstede. 1,785,059 12/1930 Weisman. 1,838,590 12/1931 Suttin. 2,486,057 10/ 1949 Ohl.

F. BARRY SHAY, Primary Examiner U.S.Cl.X.R. 24--7l 

